Important draft notes YOU should know

Scott Scharer- Glorify the Past

04/29/2003

Here's the lowdown on this years class of 2003 as reported by scouts around
the NFL These are the things that got my attention. Let me tell you,
looking at these scouting reports, don't get too excited over man coverage
this year. All players are placed in the order the Chargers picked them:

Sammy Davis CB (6' 186)
NICKNAME: the Candy Man
PROS: Plants and breaks on the ball sharply and shows an explosive closing
burst, has excellent open-field acceleration, drag-down type of tackler who
will deliver his hits with force.
CONS: Needs to be more aggressive in run support and does not have that
extra gear needed to recover when beaten.

Drayton Florence CB (6' 198)
PROS: Good linear speed and instincts and has the closing quickness needed
to recover when beaten.
CONS: Poor wrapup tackler, appears to have a "chip" on his shoulders, as
personality issues have cropped up at both schools he attended, has game
concentration issues.

Terrence Kiel FS (5'11" 204)
OH SHIT: Did we have to draft another coverage guy named Terrance?
PROS: Has a knack for stripping the ball away in run support, competes for
the high pass with his leaping skills,
can immediately close, showing explosive acceleration, especially when
working in the short area.
CONS: appears too stiff in his turns to handle the opponent one-on-one,
does not have the second gear needed to stay tight on receivers in man
coverage.

Courtney Van Buren G, OT (6'6" 353)
THE MORE THINGS CHANGE: Another Courtney on the O line.
PROS: Shows tremendous pop and explosion, uncoiling with force to rock the
defenders back on their heels, shuffles his feet well and shows good arm
extension retreating in pass protection, excels on the short traps, using
his burst to drive into the defender with force. This dude is MASSIVE.
CONS: Tends to over-extend and lunge in pass protection, will get exposed
vs. the speedy edge rush, but has the flexibility to redirect.

Matt Wilhelm-LB (6'4" 245)
PROS: Hits with aggression and has the breakdown ability, change of
direction and wrapup skills to make tackles in space, has good reaction
quickness and the range to make plays towards the sidelines, shows
awareness to sniff out the screens, draws and reverses.
CONS: Taken out in passing situations, as he lacks explosion and long
range speed, and spends too much time eying the quarterback, causing him to
react late working in the zone, will generally lose foot races along the
sidelines, ducks his head some when working in traffic and appears too
slow to be effective as a blitzer or on the pass rush.

Mike Scifres P (6'2" 236)
PROS: One of the finest athletes in the country at his position,
outstanding distance punter who has a very powerful leg, can also handle
kickoff chores (4.08-second average hang time) and hold for placements and
field goals. The guy's a stud punter.
CONS: Will shank a few kickoffs, as he needs work on his mechanics and
consistency in this area.

Hanik Milligan FS (6'2" 201)
WILL BE SAID: "Can I take a milligan?"
PROS: Has the acceleration to stay with the opponent deep, showing
smoothness in his turn, very physical and aggressive in run support . Faces
up, wraps and extends his arms properly to make the open-field tackles.
CONS: Needs to work on his man-coverage skills, as he allows too much
cushion underneath, bites on play action at times, while he shows great
range and hitting ability, he will get over-aggressive at times, missing
the tackle, especially when trying to deliver the knockout punch. HMMM,
didn't we just get rid of a player like that with PROVEN talent?

Andrew Pinnock FB (5'10" 265)
PROS: Has thick thighs, muscular lower legs and calves, has the hands to
be productive out of the backfield, rarely goes down after the first hit
and will punish a defender attempting to arm tackle, lowers his pads,
squares his shoulders and punishes defenders as he tramples over them.
CONS: More of a one-speed type and will run high with poor pad level at
times, needs to improve his timing on the quarterback exchange, will put
the ball on the ground some, especially in 2002, where a rash of fumbles
saw him benched briefly early in the season . Needs to protect the ball
better when running, as he seems to carry it too freely, resulting in an
inability to properly secure the ball. That damned Chuck Muncie style of
ball carrying.

Good draft? Dreadful Dale Lindsey seems to think so. The Jury will be out
for at least a year, possibly two. Ross Warner of Justice is Coming said
in his column "they'd better not try to trade out of the first round
because they'd just be repeating the mistakes of the past." Guess what
they didn't. But the 30th overall pick is pretty damn close.